After wandering around the town, Chi Wen began to regain a sense of familiarity. In his previous life, he had walked every part of this town to look for food and make money. Even though many years had passed, the sight of these familiar scenes brought back memories of the town.
He followed several adults onto an old public bus. The driver and other passengers didn’t notice anything unusual, assuming he was one of the passengers’ children. Even so, his skinny and dark appearance attracted a few curious glances.
Chi Wen took a seat, knowing this bus would take him to the town center, where he planned to look around. After half an hour, he got off the bus in a bustling area of the town. As a small child alone, he would easily attract the wrong kind of attention, so Chi Wen headed toward the crowded places, blending in confidently with the adults. He spotted a payphone outside a grocery store and his eyes lit up. He rushed over.
Why did he need to go to Beijing alone? He just needed to let them come to him!!!
Chi Wen approached a middle-aged woman sitting nearby and pulled out a yuan, saying, “Excuse me, Sister, I want to make a phone call.”
The shopkeeper, amused and flattered to be called ‘sister’ by a child, gladly accepted the money and kindly said, “Go ahead.” She even brought over a stool for him to stand on and reach the phone.
“What’s a little guy like you doing alone? Where are your parents?” the shopkeeper asked, looking around for any adult who might be his guardian.
“My grandma is shopping in the store next door. I’m calling my mom and dad,” Chi Wen replied. He then dialed a number he knew by heart.
As the phone rang, Chi Wen’s heart beat so fast it almost stopped. The moment the call connected, Chi Wen was about to shout when a rough male voice came through, “Hello, who’s this?”
Chi Wen paused, then said, “Hello, I’m looking for Fu Yunruo.”
“Who? I don’t know them. You’ve got the wrong number.” Then the call disconnected.
After being stunned for a moment, Chi Wen, undeterred, dialed the number again. As soon as the call connected, he quickly said, “I’m looking for the owner of this phone number.”
“What’s wrong with you, kid? I told you I’m the owner of this phone, and I don’t know the person you’re talking about.” The phone was hung up again.
Chi Wen held the receiver, his expression one of dismay and loss. Was this not his mother’s number in this life? He tried another number, this time Si Yue’s personal number, but this time an automatic message informed him the phone was out of service area.
Can’t get through… Why was this happening? He had hoped to contact his parents and have them come to pick him up…
Just then, he overheard two young girls nearby talking excitedly about their idol.
“So amazing!! He’s changing his agent now, and surely will do even better in the future!”
“Which agent is he changing to?”
“Yuan Xin! You know, that legendary one!”
“Didn’t they say he’s not taking new stars anymore?”
“That’s not true. Look, everyone online is talking about it. Ever since Si Yue retired, he hadn’t taken any artists under him, so of course, he’d take our brother. Our brother is so talented; he’s sure to achieve even more than Si Yue!”
“Right…”
Yuan Xin? Chi Wen’s eyes lit up. That’s right, there was still Uncle Yuan! Chi Wen quickly dialed Yuan Xin’s number, and this time the call connected. The voice he heard was familiar, and Chi Wen nearly cried.
“Hello, who is this?”
“Are you Uncle Yuan Xin?”
“I am,” Yuan Xin, while pondering which relative’s child had called his private number, softened his voice, “Child, who are you?”
Chi Wen asked seriously, “Are you alone right now?”
Yuan Xin glanced around; he was alone in his spacious office. As he moved to sit behind his desk, he replied, “Yes.”
Chi Wen, ensuring no one was paying attention to him, lowered his voice, “Uncle Yuan, I am Si Yue’s son.”
Yuan Xin had barely touched the seat of his office chair when he heard the words on the other end. He lost his balance and fell to the floor, the phone clattering loudly beside him.
Hearing the commotion, Chi Wen asked with concern, “Uncle Yuan, are you alright?”
Yuan Xin scrambled to pick up the phone, wincing as he climbed back into his chair. Realizing the call was still connected, he asked, “Child, what did you say?” He must have heard wrong. Son? Who? Si Yue?
Yuan Xin glanced at the calendar on his desk; it wasn’t April Fool’s Day. Who would play such a joke on him?
“I am Si Yue’s son,” Chi Wen repeated, then continued, “I know it’s sudden, and you won’t believe me, but what I am saying is true. If you want to know the truth, come find me.”
Chi Wen gave him the address of the orphanage and also told him his name, “My name is Chi Wen.” He knew that his father and Uncle Yuan were unaware of his existence, but he was confident that after telling Uncle Yuan this much, regardless of his doubts, he would come to verify. Once Uncle Yuan arrived, Chi Wen was sure he could convince him.
“Did you get that?” Chi Wen asked, wanting to be certain.
Yuan Xin, initially skeptical, was now half-convinced. Could it really be Si Yue’s son?
No, that couldn’t be. He had been by Si Yue’s side for years and had never seen him close to any woman… but then again, he wasn’t with Si Yue 24/7. What if?
Yuan Xin subconsciously memorized the address given by the child, but he cautioned, “Child, you mustn’t lie. Whoever told you to say this, I won’t hold it against you this time, but you can’t do this again, okay?”
Hearing Yuan Xin’s response, Chi Wen knew he had taken the bait and would come to verify. Satisfied, he said, “Goodbye, Uncle Yuan.”
After hanging up the phone and thanking the shopkeeper, Chi Wen hopped down from the stool and cheerfully ran off, ready to return to the orphanage. All he had to do now was wait patiently.
Meanwhile, Yuan Xin, reeling from the unexpected call, sat dazed for a moment. He picked up his phone to call Si Yue but stopped. If the information wasn’t accurate, it wouldn’t be wise to alarm Si Yue, who was not even in the country and was busy being a domineering CEO. He’d better check it out first.
But the news was so shocking. Unable to sit still, Yuan Xin, accompanied by two trusted bodyguards, quickly headed to the address he had noted.
…
Back at the orphanage, Chi Wen found all the children standing in the yard, with the director’s loud voice echoing through the air.
“Such a big kid gone missing and none of you saw anything? Are you all blind?”
As soon as Chi Wen appeared, the children who had been hanging their heads pointed at him and exclaimed, “Mother, Chi Wen is back!”
The director turned around. Seeing Chi Wen standing properly at the door, she stormed over and roughly grabbed his ear. “You rascal, where did you go off to? Huh? Aren’t you afraid of being taken away by kidnappers…”
Chi Wen tiptoed, trying to protect his ear, “I was wrong, I just went to the residential area over there…”
Chi Wen hurried to explain. He had been out for too long, and the director realized something was amiss, especially since he hadn’t shown up by mealtime.
The director was both angry and anxious. She was not usually strict, as the children were generally well-behaved, playing nearby and returning on time for meals, so she didn’t worry much. However, to her surprise, Chi Wen, who was usually obedient, disappeared for half the day. After a lengthy scolding, she punished him by not allowing him to eat that day and left grumbling.
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My heart can hardly take this! 😱 I wanted to wait to this extra finished to read it, but I barely made to the weekend to reach the 2 Chapters quota per week 😭
If Chi Wen’s father in the original plot was also SY, it only means that he really just cleaned after himself regarding of that night. “FYR” might somehow got out of his room at night, disoriented, found by the man who’s arranged by FXR, knocked out, then arranged for the next show with the reporters. And that’s why she thought the man was the father of her son. 😰😰😰
“FYR” then disappeared and died before SY knew anything about her getting pregnant and giving birth to a son. So, he peacefully lived his life without knowing that CW was his son.